Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-08-27


was thick layer of mist exactly as though
the whole surface had been covered with
pillows of cotton wool. By degrees, however,
the sun sucked up the mists. and then ! saw
that we were afioat upon glorious sheet
of blue water. OF which / could not make out
|. the shore. Some eight or ten miles behind
us. however. there stretched as far as the eye
could reach a range Of precipitous bills that
formed retaining wall Of the lake, and
have no doubt but that it was through some
entrance in these hills that the subterranean
river found its way into the open water. In
deed. afterwards ascertained this to be the
fact: and it viii be some indication OF the
extraordinary strength and directness of the
current Of the mysterious river that the
canoe. even at this distance, was still answer
ing to it. Presently, too, |, or rather Umslo-
pogaas, who woke up just then. discovered
another indication, and very unpleasant
one it was Perceiving some Nhitish object
upon the water, Umslopogaas called my
attention to il, and with few strokes of the
paddle brought the canoe to the spot, where
upon we discovered that the object was the
BODY of a man floating face downward. This
was bad enough, but imagine my horror
when Umslopogaas having turned him on to
his back with the paddle we recognized in the
sunlxen features the lineaments of-whom
do YOU suppose! None other than our
poor servant who had been sucked down
two DAYS before In the waters Of the sub
terranean river IL quite frightened me. l
thought that we had left him behind forever;
and beholdl borne by the current, he had
made the awful journey with us, and with us
had reached the end His appearance also
was dreadful, for he bore traces of having
touched the pillar of fire-one arm being
completely shriveled up, and all his hair
being burnt off. The features were, as /
have said, sunken, and yet they preserved
upon them that awful look of despair that
had seen upon his living face as the poor fell
low was sucked down. Really the sight un-
nerved me. weary and shaken as l felt with
all that we had gone through, and / was
heartily glad, when suddenly, and without
any warming, the body began to sink just as
though it had had a mission, which having
been accomplished, it retired; the real reason,
no doubt, being that turning ID on its back,
allowed a free passage to the gas. Down it
went into the transparent depths--fathom
after fathom we could trace its course till at
last long line of bright air bubbles, swiftly
chasing each other to the surface, alone re-
manned where it had passed. At length
these too were gone, and that was an end Of
our poor servant. Umslopogaas thoughtfully
watched the body vanish.
"What did he follow us fora" be asked.
otis an i'll omen for thee and me, Macuma-
zahn." And he laughed.
| turned on him angrily, for dislike these
unpleasant suggestions. If people have such
ideas they ought in common decency to keep
them to themselves detest individuals who
make one the subject of their disagreeable
presentiments, or who, when they dream that
they saw one hanged as a commoa felon, or
some such horror, will insist upon telling one
all about it at breakfast, even if they have to
get up early to do it.
Just then, however, the others woke up and
began to rejoice exceedingly at finding that
we were out of that dreadful river and once
more beneath the blue sky.
When we had been sailing for an hour
Good, who was searching the horizon with
spyglass, suddenly announced joyfully that
he saw land, and pointed out that, from the
change in the color Of the water, he thought
we must be approaching the mouth of q
river. In another minute we perceived O
great golden dome, not unlike that of st.
Pauls, piercing the morning mists, and while
we were wondering what in the world il could
be- Good reported another and still more i'm
portant discovery, namely, that small sail
ing boat was advancing toward us. This bit
oil news. which we were very shortly able Ia
verify with our own eyes, threw us into
considerable fiutter. That the natives of this
unknown lake should understand the art Of
sailing seemed To suggest that they possessed
some degree of civilization. In few more
minutes it became evident that the occupant
or occupants of the advancing boat had made
as out. For a moment or two she hung in
the wind as though in doubt, and then came
lacking toward US with great swiftness. In
ten more minutes she was within hundred
yards, and we saw that she was a neat little
boat-not a canoe "dugout," but built more
or less in European fashion with planlIs, and
carrying a singularly large sail for her size.
But our attention was soon diverted from the
boat to her crew, which consisted of man
aud woman nearly as white as ourselves.
We stared at each other III amazement
thinking that we must be mistaken; but no,
there was no doubt about it, They were not
fair, but the two people in the boat were de-
cidedly of q white as distinguished from o
black race-as white for instance, as Span
iards or Italians 1t was patent fact. So
it was true after all; and, mysteriously led
by Power beyond our own we had discov-
cred this wonderful people. | could have
shouted for joy when thought Of the glory
and the wonder of the thing; ard as it was,
we all shook hands and congratulated each
other on the unexpected success of our wild
search All my life had heard rumors of a
white race that existed in the highlands Of
the interior of this vast continent, and longed
to put them to the proof, and now here saw
it with my own eyes and was dumfounded.
Truly, as Sir Henry said, the old Roman was
right when he wrote: lex Africa semper
aliqud novi," which he tells me means that
out Of Africa there always comes some new
thing.
The man in the boat was of good but not
particularly fine physique, and Lad straight,
black hair, regular aquiline features, and an
intelligent face. He was dressed in a brown
cloth garment, something like flannel shirt
without the sleeves, and in an un.nistakable